Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Victoria Habeeb, Founder of Salsa Maya, located in Houston, TX, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Salsa Maya is a deliciously spicy habanero aioli that you can spread on everything. We have been making it for many years in my home growing up. It started out as an artisanal sauce, and we made it for people who enjoy and appreciate the spice of habaneros and the boastful taste of garlic and creamy aioli. We started out thinking it would be a side business and thinking farmers markets would be our selling place, well fast forward to 8 months later, and we were being named as one out of seven condiments that needed to be in your pantry by Texas Magazine. Slowly we began to grow and have been able to reach many people nationally and internationally. Our customers evolved from being what we thought was only Hispanic to being all ages, all nationalities, and all taste buds.
Tell us about yourself
I have loved cooking since I was very young. I always knew I wanted to be a chef. I went to the Culinary Institute of America in New York at 18 and fell even more in love with the industry and its possibilities. On my third year at the school, my dad began to ask me if I wanted to start selling the sauce we had made at home at school, and we went for it. When I graduated, I moved back to my home city of Houston, and we decided to have Salsa Maya as a hobby and weekend/farmers market activity. It soon grew, and it became my full-time job. It is a difficult industry to be in, with a great amount of competition, and it's a big patience game. What gets me going is that passion that gets any chef doing what they do, which is giving people an experience, having them bring back a moment, or creating a new memory for them through food. The best feeling is knowing people all over are waking up, eating lunch, or having people over and enjoying your product, a product that is made still by us.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
My biggest accomplishment is the next goal I have for the company. What I aim for next will become my biggest accomplishment, and as soon as I succeed in it, the next goal will be my biggest accomplishment, and so on. If I were to choose one of the past, I feel like it would indicate that we are done growing. I'm happy to know our growth has always been organic.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
The responsibility and holding yourself accountable for the success of the company. It is hard to admit sometimes that you can always do more. It is hard to ask for help, especially when you are growing and you feel like since you've done everything to that point that you don't need it, but it is so important to rely on others and create a strong team.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Do it, don't think too much. There will always be a lot of reasons not to do it, but I can attest that no one who started their own business regretted it. Your business becomes your baby, and watching it grow and achieve things you never dreamed of is very much worth it.
- Knock on every door, don't be scared. A new opportunity will push you and make you grow. You already have the "NO," so you might as well ask.
- Believe in yourself and in your product. Google is an amazing resource, ask someone in the business and do everything you need to get the product into the right hands.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: http://www.salsamayaus.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/salsamayaus/photos
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/salsamayaus/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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